Predatory banks and insurance companies targeted

Guideline will aim to improve elderly care

The National Health Commission will issue and implement a guideline to improve health services for elderly people, an official said on Friday.

The guideline aims to set up a health service system that covers both urban and rural areas, and consists of health education, prevention, diagnosis and treatment, rehabilitation, long-term nursing and hospice care, Wang Haidong, director of the commission's Department of Aging and Health, said at a news conference.

The commission will continue a campaign launched in July to promote elderly health, and will push hospitals and other healthcare institutions to become more elderly friendly, Wang said.

It will also carry out a nationwide campaign to enhance the public's knowledge of preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease, work to establish a system for long-term nursing of disabled elderly people, and include more cities into its pilot hospice care program.